Kiss of Death (29 page)

“I can't believe it. They were all so kind to me.”

He shrugs. “Who'd you speak to besides Anton?”

“Mostly Teresa. And she seemed real nice.”

Winters smiles. “Oh, she's nice all right.”

“Were you two…were you two an item?”

“For a little while, yeah. Until Anton decided he wanted to see more of Teresa.”

“Oh…I'm sorry.”

He bats away the air with his hand. “We weren't that close. It's just that she's the strongest female in the group. And I liked being with her.”

I take a swig of beer. “Tell me, do you think we've got some kind of condition? An illness?”

He laughs. “Hell, no. We're a step up on the evolutionary scale.” He scratches his eyebrow. “A mighty big step at that.”

“I do feel…you know, different. Special.”

He nods. “Exactly.”

There's an awkward silence before I say, “I don't know what to do about Anton and After Dark. He seemed so nice and I was hoping he'd ask me to join his house.”

“But you don't want to join now, do you? Not with the murder?”

“Maybe he didn't do it.”

Winters looks away, and then back at me. “You'd be waiting for a long time anyway. Anton hardly ever lets new members in and when he does there are so many tests.” He shakes his head. “It takes ages.” Winters leans forward. “You should join my house. You'd be perfect.”

“You've got your own house?”

“Sure. We've got four other male vamps, one female vamp, plus three female donors we all use regularly.” He takes another gulp of beer, eyes on me. “Hey, you should come meet everybody. We're hooking up after this. We'd love you to come.” He puts his hand over mine. “I'd love you to come.”

Unlike with Ward, I feel no attraction to this man. Rather, his hand feels cold and clammy, reminding me of a corpse, and I have to control the strong compulsion to withdraw my hand and run as fast as I can to my car.

“We're a friendly, laid-back house and because we're just starting I'm looking for new members.”

“I don't know…”

“Just come meet everyone and we'll take it from there.”

Suddenly I feel light-headed. I stare at the beer. Could he have drugged me? My breathing gets shallower.

“Come on, let's go. Come with me.”

The voice swims in my head, vaguely making sense. Next thing I know I'm standing up.

Damien Winters holds out his hand. “Come on, Veronica.”

Veronica? The use of my alias snaps me out of it. I sit back down.

Winters glares at me. “Come on, Veronica.”

I still feel weak, giddy and a little tempted, but I'm aware enough of my surroundings to hold my ground.

Winters sits down again and is about to talk when my BlackBerry rings. I won't be ignoring this call. I want
out of this situation and off Winters' radar. He glances around as I start fishing for my phone.

“I guess it'll have to wait. See you soon, Veronica.” He moves in and plants a kiss on my lips, catching me by surprise, then leaves quickly. Another wave of dizziness hits me, not that dissimilar to the feeling I get after a particularly intense vision.

What the hell did he just do to me?

“Hello?” I pick up just in time.

“Hey, it's Sloan. We've just finished talking to Paula Torres.”

“And?” My voice is a little shaky.

“It was weird. When Carey and I turned up, the woman who answered the door was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, no makeup, and she had short brown hair. We asked to speak to Paula Torres and it turns out we had her live and in person.”

“Double life,” I manage to say.

“Uh-huh.”

It takes all my concentration to focus on Sloan and what she's saying. I just want to lie down and go to sleep. “So what did she say?”

“She was pretty up front about it, actually. Said that Sherry approached her but was focused on Ward. Asking Paula how she could become his donor.”

“And?”

“Paula said she laughed in Sherry's face, called her a wannabe and said that Anton would never touch her.”

“And Sherry ran away…”

“Uh-huh. But I don't know if I buy it. Paula
did
actually strike me as the jealous type and everyone keeps telling us how confident Sherry was. I'm just not sure some woman telling her she was a wannabe would get to Sherry.”

It takes a considerable amount of energy to stand up and make my way out of the café and back to my car. “I
think that's the point, Sloan. This would have been the first time Sherry was not wanted, not accepted into a group. The first time she wasn't attracting people to her. She wanted to be a donor that night and it sounds like she had her first ever taste of rejection. It was enough to upset her and to send her into her ex-boyfriend's arms. She needed to feel wanted. And I'm sure it didn't help her ego that the professor was obviously cooling off.”

“And rejection sent her running to Todd Fischer?”

“Uh-huh.” I start the engine. “I just met Damien Winters. I think he's competing for my membership.”

“Maybe everything Winters does is to get back at Ward. What if he knew Ward was at Temescal Gateway Park and decided to frame him?”

“You're right. And Winters also spoke to Sherry, probably saw Ward speaking to her the week before, and he could have put together the whole plan. If Ward was suspected of murder, After Dark might fall apart.” I take a left into Santa Monica Boulevard. “Leaving Winters to pick up the pieces.”

Silence for a beat. “But it's all speculation at this point,” Sloan says.

“Yes, but we're getting closer.” My BlackBerry gives a double beep. I pull over to look at the message. It's a direct message via Facebook that's been rerouted from the Bureau's e-mail account to my phone. It's from Anton. “I've got a message from Ward. He wants to meet.”

“Really? What about?”

“Doesn't say.”

“So are you going to meet him?”

“Don't know. I guess contact with Ward can only be beneficial to the case.”

“True. But let me know if you're going to catch up with him so Carey or I can back you up. It won't take long to organize a wire.”

“Will do.” I pull back into the traffic. “I'll speak to you soon.”

“Okay, Anderson.”

I say goodbye and hang up.

But before I call Anton Ward, I try to get my head around what happened at the café. The logical part of me feels that most of what Winters and Ward have told us is a load of rubbish, but I can't afford to be too closed-minded on these matters—it would be hypocritical given less than two years ago I thought any kind of psychic experience was fanciful at best and delusional at worst. And now I'm feeling just like Anton Ward said donors feel after a psi-vamp has fed on them—tired and drained. Could Winters have somehow fed off my energy? And if he did, he sure as hell didn't ask for permission. He definitely doesn't follow Ward's code.

He weakened me somehow, and then tried to persuade me to come with him. Both Sherry Taylor and Lily Underwood were new to the Goth scene. Could be that Winters thought Veronica might be a fitting sacrifice, too. And if Winters did to them what he just did to me, they probably went with him willingly, even if they'd just met him.

Then there's Ward. He lied to police, he's admitted to being in Temescal Park and he fits the profile almost perfectly. And I can't ignore all of that just because there's a part of me that's strangely attracted to him. Plus if Winters can do that to people, so can Ward. Let's see what Ward's got to say for himself.

He picks up within a few rings. “Anton.”

“Hi, Anton. It's Veronica.” Again, I make sure I put on my American, Southern accent.

“Ah, yes.” He sounds pleasantly surprised yet somehow smug at the same time. “There's something we need to talk about.”

“After Dark?” I say it eagerly, in line with my alias's desire to join the vampire house.

“No.” He's silent for a few beats. “I want to know what you were doing at the LAPD today.”

“What?” I bite down on my lip. How could he possibly know? “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“I think we can help each other,
Veronica
.” He says it like he knows it's not my real name. “You should come alone, unwired. You don't represent yourself truthfully to me or to your employers. And that's something we need to talk about.” He hangs up.

Shit. Ward's been on and off our list a few times already, but at the moment he's teetering on the edge. I certainly can't turn up by myself but I also can't take up Sloan on her offer of backup. The only person I can bring without worrying about the repercussions is Darren.

I swing into Veteran Avenue and park the car. When I walk into the apartment Darren's leaning on my kitchen counter looking…gorgeous…and he's got a block of chocolate and two Diet Cokes ready to go.

I look at the movie snacks and grimace. “I'm sorry, hon, but I have to pay Anton Ward a visit and I really need you to come with me.”

“You're seeing him tonight?”

I pull my wig off. “Yeah. He asked me what I was doing at the LAPD today.”

“He must have seen you and recognized you, even though you weren't dressed up.”

“Maybe. But he said I didn't represent myself truthfully to my employers and he wanted to talk about that. All this time he's somehow picked up on my gift and if he talks about it and I'm wired…”

“But this would blow your cover. If he only thinks he saw you, or is suspicious because of something else, and you go to him like this, that's the end of Veronica.”

“I know. But I have to find out what he can
really
sense about me. And how. Plus he might be our killer.” I
pull my top off and race to the bathroom. “Give me ten minutes to get this gunk off my face and change.”

 

It's 10:45 p.m. by the time Darren and I pull up at Ward's Los Feliz address. Stephen French answers the door within five seconds of our arrival. Then again, he was given plenty of notice by the security system at the edge of the grounds.

“Good evening.” He looks at me, recognition in his eyes. “You're here to see the master but he was expecting you to come alone, I believe.”

“Yes. I'm sorry, but that wasn't going to happen.”

French forces a smile. “This way, please.”

To my surprise he takes us into the study rather than the drawing room. “Tea? Coffee? An alcoholic beverage perhaps?”

“We're fine,” I say.

“Very well.” French gives us a small bow. “The master will be with you soon,” he says before he leaves.

Darren looks around. “Wow. I see what you mean about this place.”

“And we're probably being videoed.”

Darren and I scan the room. “There.” I point above the fireplace.

Uncharacteristically, Ward only keeps us waiting a few minutes. He's still in the jeans and polo-neck skivvy from this afternoon.

“Thank you for coming.” Ward looks me up and down briefly. “And thank you for showing me the respect of your true attire.” He motions to my clothes. “However, I did request that you come alone.”

I shake my head. “Not a chance.”

Ward's visibly shocked by my accent. He'd guessed my Veronica outfit was fake, but not the accent.

“You're English?”

“Australian. Common mistake.”

Ward pulls himself together. He probably had a whole routine worked out in his head and then I go and throw him off with an Australian accent.

“You were at the LAPD station today.”

I'm not sure whether to deny it or not, so instead I say, “I was working there. Just for today.” I told Ward I was a temp in admin, so it's not impossible that I'd been contracted by the LAPD.

He levels a penetrating gaze at me. “No lies, please. You were watching my interview with Detectives Sloan and Carey.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

Ward looks Darren up and down. “This your partner?”

I know Ward means law-enforcement partner but I don't answer the question. “You can speak freely in front of Darren.”

“Darren…yes, let's start with names.”

It's time to come clean. I hold my hand out. “Sophie Anderson. Special Agent Sophie Anderson.”

“Special Agent?”

“FBI.”

“Mmm. And?” He looks at Darren, who in turn looks at me. I give him a nod.

“Detective Darren Carter, Tucson Homicide.”

“Tucson?”

I go for full disclosure. It can't do any harm at this point. “Darren is my boyfriend.”

Ward smiles, a mischievous smile. “I see.” He looks at Darren again. “And he knows about you?”

I hesitate. “Yes.”

Ward turns back to me. “Something's happened to you recently. Your energy isn't as strong as usual.”

“Veronica met with Damien Winters and I think he…fed on me.”

Ward laughs. “You say it with such distaste, such disbelief. Yet you have your own abilities.” He sits down.

“What abilities do you think I have?”

“To be honest, Agent Anderson, I don't know. But I realized once and for all today that you're not one of us.” He regards me with interest. “Yet you are different in some way. You have some abilities, some spiritual or psychic power or connection, I think.”

I'm silent.

After over a minute, Ward speaks. “I chose this room for our meeting tonight for a reason, Agent. I want to know what happened to you in here last night. With Teresa.”

I glance up at the camera. When Ward reviewed the footage he would have got a full frontal of my reaction to my vision.

I look him in the eye. “I saw you and Teresa having sex.”

Another wicked smile. “Was it good for you, too?”